Latest / The YMyHealth Podcast | Wellness and Healthcare Insights for Millennials / Preview of Fight CRC's 2025 Call-on Congress and Initiatives

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Preview of Fight CRC's 2025 Call-on Congress and Initiatives · The YMyHealth Podcast | Wellness and Healthcare Insights for Millennials

• Melissa Schenkman (00:41) At YMyHealth, colorectal cancer, particularly early onset colorectal cancer, has been a core component of the coverage that we have done because it's something that has affected so many people and generation Y. It continues to be something that concerns so many of us in our 20s, 30s, and 40s that we want to bring as much education and awareness as we can to this particular health condition. Today, I am here with Ben White from Fight CRC. Welcome to the podcast. Ben White (01:10) Thank you for having me. Melissa Schenkman (01:11) You're very welcome. We are going to be talking about some really exciting initiatives that Fight CRC has going on. But the first really big thing we're going to talk about is the call in Congress event that's coming up in March. Why My Health was involved in that last year, we had an incredible experience and we're going to be going back this year. And so we wanted to talk about that. But first, just want to talk a little bit about you then, how you got involved with Fight CRC and your role with federal policy. Ben White (01:37) Yeah, so I'm the federal policy manager at Fight CRC. How I got involved, well, this is not the career I thought I would be in. I graduated undergrad and I actually joined the Navy. I was a helicopter pilot. Melissa Schenkman (01:48) wow. Ben White (01:50) Yeah, but I was diagnosed with colon cancer when I was 26. And though I'm now seven years cancer free, my treatment left me with some long term side effects that meant I was no longer safe in the cockpit eligible to serve. So I separated from the Navy. And while I was in treatment and around that time after separation was when I found Fight Colorectal Cancer. So I have been a longtime volunteer and advocate. And at that point, I was kind of looking for a career pivot. So aside from Fight CRC, I had my undergraduate degree in political science and knew I wanted to pursue an advanced degree in public policy. So, I moved to DC, ended up actually working at a different cancer nonprofit while I applied to grad schools. Went back to school. That was about 5 years ago. So, I got my masters degree and decided to stay in school forever and now I am getting my PhD in Health Policy. Melissa Schenkman (02:34) Awesome! Ben White (02:42) I’ve spent the last couple of years in cancer nonprofits, health nonprofits. Spent a year writing Medicare regulations. I have a pretty wide array background over the last few years of things I've dabbled in. I interned on the Hill. It was very humbling to be a 30 year old intern. But anyway, last summer, the Stars kind of aligned in Fight CRC. I was looking for a new federal policy manager right around the same time that I was kind of figuring out what was next as far as full-time employment. And yeah, the Stars aligned and it's worked out and it's been incredible to be on the team full-time. And as I mentioned, I was a longtime volunteer and advocate before joining the team on a permanent basis. It's a very long storied route. I tried to keep it shorter, but that's kind how I landed where I am today. Melissa Schenkman (03:25) Wow, what an amazing journey to be doing the work that you're doing now and all the different experiences you had. And thank you so much for your service, by the way, as well. And just to bring all of that to Fight CRC's work. I know they are just an incredible organization and the work you're doing and have been doing in the policy world is just so unbelievably important. So that's really cool to get to hear your background and how you landed here. And kind of if you could walk us through a little bit. Before we get into calling Congress, kind of what does your role as Fight TRC's federal policy manager entail and what would you like fellow millennials to know about federal policy? Because I have to tell you, which may not surprise you, a lot of us do not know a lot about it unless we were in the political science and health policy field. Ben White (04:12) Right. Federal policy is for me, I'm managing all things federal. So both the congressional side of things where we deal with Call-on Congress, but also tracking what our agencies are doing, Medicare, Health and Human Services, the National Cancer Institute, all that falls under the federal realm. So, you know, when Medicare makes a new decision that might affect access to care for colorectal cancer screening or patients, that's something that kind of falls under my purview to weigh in on on behalf of Fight CRC as well. So kind of a wide array. With call in Congress, the focus is obviously our congressional and senators. Something to note, you nailed it. You a lot of people aren't super aware of what federal policy means. I think there's a lot of apathy and maybe frustration over the divisions in politics and things like that. I think the biggest thing to be aware of is that decisions are being made and work is being done on the Hill all the time. And that's true whether we're there or not. But if you're not at the table, you're on the menu, right? So if we are not a part of the conversations, those decisions are going to be made about us without us being a part of the conversation. And so that's why advocacy is incredibly important. And there are lot of industries that have dollars to put towards having full time people on the Hill all the time making those connections and relationships. And healthcare is not necessarily one of those. Melissa Schenkman (05:20) Good point. Ben White (05:35) Patient perspective, right? It's us. There is no big cancer industry out there lobbying every day. It's the activists, it's the patients, the caregivers, the families who are affected by this, who have to go and share their stories and share what the priorities are and the things that matter to them. And I also think Fight CRC is a grassroots advocacy organization and there is so much power in that, Like there's, can send lobbyists all day, but what brings a lot more weight is having a constituent, somebody who lives in the district or the state of a representative or a Senator sharing their story and telling what matters to them, because that's ultimately who those members of Congress are beholden to, right? Like that's who they represent. So having real folks who live in those districts, who live in those states, coming to their members of Congress and sharing priorities and telling what's important to them carries a lot of weight. And so that was a lengthy answer to what millennials should know. I think the biggest… the short takeaway is that if we're not at the table, we're on the menu, like I said, and we need we need to be at the table. The decisions are being made whether we're there or not. We should be there. Melissa Schenkman (06:42) 100%. No, I really appreciate you walking us through all of that because I've learned a lot listening to you already and I know a lot of other people will too and people want to get involved. That's really the short of it. A lot of people want to get involved and they don't know how it works and what's going on on the Hill and I think hearing that makes it very relatable and that actually you can get involved and you should get involved even if this is not your particular... area professionally that having that, like you said, constituent story is whatever it may be, you whether you're a patient or caregiver or you're just somebody who wants to advocate for this and a member of our generation. All of us should definitely be at the table to your point. And when a lot of people are going to be at the table is in March. March 9th through March 11th is Fight CRC's 2025 Call in Congress event, which is held in Washington, DC. And also this year, I think it's considered now, I want to say, not Crystal City. They keep changing the name of the area where the event hotel is going to be. What's it? Yeah, it is actually Crystal City. Is it Crystal City now? That's okay. They're still calling it Crystal City. But yeah. And so it's a really incredible experience. I loved being there for the first time last year. And so I kind of wanted to give people a sense from your perspective and from lots of different perspectives of what this event can bring to you. So first of all, what should colorectal cancer survivors, which you are one of, and congratulations on seven years, and current patients know about this incredible event? Ben White (08:17) First off, you for coming last year and thank you for coming again. Melissa Schenkman (08:20) You're so welcome. Ben White (08:22) Before I dive into that question, I'm going to give a quick, just like high level overview of what the event is. So people can kind of get an idea of what to expect. Like you said, March 9th through 11th. March 9th is the very first day. It's our volunteer day. we are, we have an annual installation called United in Blue, where we place 27,400 flags on the national mall, blue flags. And these represent the… all the people who will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer before the age of 50 by the year 2030, because early onset colorectal cancer is on the rise. Melissa Schenkman (08:52) this incredible visual representation that stays up for two weeks of the impact of this disease and how it's affecting our generation younger and younger people. So the ninth is the the flag day where we will actually place all 27,400 of those flags. There's a ton of other pieces of that installation too. You can honor a loved one up there. So that's a thing you can find on our website. If you want to have a specific tribute to somebody, you can do that as well. And then there's like a mix and mingle that evening for attendees. But anyone can participate who wants to come volunteer. You don't have to participate in full Call-on Congress, especially folks who are local to the DC area. March 10th is our Hill Day training, so it's kind of a packed full day talking about what we're gonna be doing on the Hill. Lots of great presentations and then also presentations from kind of other educational things that are going on. So we have our folks from CISNET, which is the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network, coming to kind of share some of the work they're doing. And if you're not familiar, CISNET is the group who often does a lot of surveillance and modeling studies, and their modeling study was kind of what was the ultimate piece of evidence that helped guide the lowering of the screening age recommendation from 50 to 45. awesome. So they're really the ones who are tracking the data, the incidence data, and trying to project where that's going to be. So we're really excited that some of them are going to come and report to us on what they're working on. And we also are going to highlight our care report, which I think we'll probably get to a little bit later here, so I won't dive into that too much now. March 10th ends with the rally in the evening, so we all go back out to the mall to the installation. We're hoping to have some of our congressional champs and other partners join us out there. And it's kind of just a big event to showcase what we're doing and the importance of it. And then finally, March 11th is the Hill Day. We have over 250 advocates already registered, but registration is open through January 31st. So we're hoping to get even more folks to come out and we send all advocates, friends, patients, survivors, caregivers, loved ones out to their members of Congress to talk about issues that are important to colorectal cancer. So that's a overview of kind of what those three days actually look like. And you asked, know, what should survivors, patients, what should people know about it? Yeah. So obviously it's an incredible opportunity to advocate for issues that directly affect the colorectal cancer community. But I think in addition to that, it's an incredible opportunity to network with this community. By network, mean, like, peer and social support. My first Call-on Congress, blew me away. There's so much power in being able to sit in a room and not have to explain what you're going through to be able to talk to somebody who already immediately knows exactly what you're dealing with and has… Maybe dealt with the same side effects and been on the same medications or supported somebody going through the same thing and dealt with those same issues of how to support partners or family members or loved ones. And it's so comforting to have that peer support. Absolutely. Just the opportunity to really meet in person with other folks who know what you're going through is an incredible opportunity. Melissa Schenkman (11:42) 100% and I was going to say just the level of gratitude was one of the things that really stood out to me last year. People were so excited on all the different levels, whether they were meeting somebody who was currently going through treatment, meeting somebody else who was, or somebody who's a survivor and survivorship brings its own challenges. And also even from the researcher's perspective, that was something that was really interesting. Some of the researchers that came, some of the physicians, as much as they are spending time with people who are in these populations, It's not, it's done in such a different setting that it really was an eye opener, I think, for them to hear the stories that they were hearing and the challenges that are being faced and the work that's being done. And in talking with several of them, maybe about a week after the event was over, they all commonly said one thing, that they were so inspired to continue in their work and so motivated and that of everything that they attend, that this was like the most. inspiring event that gave them that to go through the next year to do their work on behalf of patients and survivors. So I think that's such a testament to this event, for sure. For sure. And what about caregivers? Because that's a totally different perspective. So as caregivers, what would you say is beneficial for them in coming to this event, whether or not they're a caregiver to somebody who is currently in treatment or somebody who is now in survivorship? Ben White (12:48) Absolutely. I think that's a great question. And I think that a lot of the same things apply. I think it's easy when you look to the cancer space or to any disease space to focus mostly on the patients. But caregivers are such a critical part of our healthcare system, really. And there are so many, it is easy to overlook that we need to take care of our caregivers as well. Caregiving involves so much giving and so much giving in it, it's exhausting. And it's important to also have those same support networks that the patients and survivors have to make sure that we're supporting those who are supporting those in treatment. you kind of nailed the hammer on the head earlier. said, you know, it doesn't end with survivorship. And that is true even of caregiving. You know, a lot of survivors, you know, it doesn't end with being declared no evidence of disease. There are a lot of lifelong issues, whether it's fertility, know, neuropathy, anxiety, other things like that, last for a long time. And those will continue to be issues that caregivers will have to, you know, that will likely be impacted by. So the journey, it doesn't ends with a declaration of no evidence of disease, there is kind of a lifelong recovery to come after that. And so making sure we're supporting everyone all the way through that journey, including caregivers is critical. Melissa Schenkman (14:17) Absolutely, 100%. And the last group that I'm thinking about are really people like myself, except I have been in the public health space, right, and I've been in the health advocacy space, but people who are my age and are your age who are not, who are in their 20s, 30s, and 40s, and don't fall into the other categories of being a colorectal cancer survivor, or patient, or a caregiver, but they want to be an advocate, or they simply want to be educated about what is happening with the health of our generation. How do you see the call in Congress event being for them as well, for those who are listening and this is the first time they're hearing about this and are interested? Ben White (14:54) Yeah, well, first off, thank you. I think it's a pretty selfless thing to advocate on behalf of others when it doesn't directly affect you. And even to be interested in these, you know, the education pieces, it's a little bit selfless. And I think it's worth acknowledging that and thanking people who are there. And, you know, thank you. Melissa Schenkman (15:08) Thank you very much. Ben White (14:54) I think the ultimate reality is that if this doesn't directly affect you yet, it probably will. cancer is on the rise in those under 50. In our generation, we're twice as likely to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer as someone born in the 1950s. And unfortunately, unless something changes, even if you don't know somebody who's impacted by colorectal cancer yet, you likely will. And we are out here trying to make changes so that this doesn't have to be the reality. And we're incredibly grateful for the support of anyone who's willing to join us. Melissa Schenkman (15:08) Well, it is YMyHealth’s pleasure and it is my personal pleasure to do that. And I think when I think about the statistics that we've seen to your point, one in particular being that here we are, it's 2025 now, we're talking five years from now in 2030, where this is going to be, I know I saw recently, the number one cause of death for people under the age of 50, I believe is what I saw. I was like, Whoa, you you stop and just how can this be in 2025? We have all know we have screenings, but there's so many as we both know, pieces to health insurance coverage of the screenings and other access barriers to access. So yeah. Ben White (16:17) Yeah, and that's doubt about colorectal cancer being the number one cancer killer for folks under 50 by 2030 has already been partially realized. as of last year for men, colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for those under 50. And it is still on track to surpass and become number one for both men and women by 2030. Melissa Schenkman (16:36) Yeah, it's just staggering to hear and why this work is so incredibly important. I know that also this March marks a very important anniversary, 20 years. And I was curious if there was anything additional planned to specifically celebrate that 20 year mark. I know there's so many things packed into those couple days already. Ben White (17:00) We are so excited. It's Fight CRC's 20th anniversary. It's actually only our 19th in Congress the way that was picked out. That just means we get to celebrate 20, twice in a row. Melissa Schenkman (17:09) That's true, that's true. Ben White (17:11) But we're really excited. There's going to be a little bit more jubilance as kind of the plan about celebrating the work we've done, highlighting the wins, highlighting the successes we've had. And as a part of that, we're adding kind of a more of a celebration dinner after Call-on Congress. after we hit the hill on Tuesday, there's actually going to be a kind of fun celebration of what we've just accomplished by going to the hill and what we've accomplished over the last 20 years. In previous years, Call on Congress kind of ended with the visits to the hill and a lot of folks would kind of head home after that. We're hoping that folks stay through the end of that day to join us for that celebration dinner this year. Melissa Schenkman (17:44) Oh, that sounds fantastic. And what a great way to end that day of doing advocacy work on the Hill. Julie Woon (17:52) Now we'd like to take a minute to talk about today's sponsor, Diekman Dysautonomia. Have you or a loved one been struggling with symptoms like fainting, a racing heart or crushing fatigue only to feel dismissed or unheard by doctors? You may be experiencing dysautonomia, POTS or long COVID. 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So I wanted to kind of talk about some of the new things that might be on the horizon for Fight CRC in 2025 and kind of some updates on different initiatives that I know about from last year that are ongoing too. the first one, which I thought was really interesting is y'all have a junior advocate, a junior advocacy program. And I did get to meet some of the junior advocates last year who are a lot of them in high school. So if you could tell us a little bit about where things are there. Ben White (19:28) I love our Junior Advocate program, particularly as the person responsible for the federal policy management. think it is such an incredible, for me, in a bias perspective, I see it as a tool for getting the work I need to get done. it's also, it offers the same support and same amazing kind of, you know, peer support for those who may have a parent facing colorectal cancer or a grandparent who want to advocate on behalf of them. But our Junior Advocate program is incredible. It's year round, but it also has an element at Call-on Congress where we have separate trainings for the junior advocates and chances for them to meet their peers and all ages welcome definitely high schoolers but there are certainly some younger. I love the junior advocate program. I am lucky enough to have gotten to do hill visits with a junior advocate in past years. I will tell you there is nothing more powerful than one of those junior advocates telling their lawmaker like it is or you know they I feel like they can demand things in a way that maybe some of the older advocates might have some hesitancy…. to, you know, I've seen the junior advocates be very blunt. Why aren't you doing this thing to support my mom? Why aren't you doing this thing that, you this would have helped my dad? there is a lot of power in that. And I love the program and there's so much energy behind it. definitely going to be a part of Call-on Congress this year. Whole families are welcome to register. Know that if you're coming as a family, we have programming for the junior advocates that will run alongside by side with the other advocacy training programs. So they'll be well looked after. And from what I hear, the junior advocates all come away already loving the event and excited to come back year after year or so. Melissa Schenkman (21:43) No, that's wonderful to hear. I can see it being such a powerful tool because I know even some of the ones that I spoke with last year, they're going on to doing things in their own schools to bring colorectal cancer education in places where it's currently not and really needs to be. yeah, they're wonderful. That's fantastic to hear. And what about Colon Club? I know last year they were going to be merging. They put out a lot of really great content online that I've seen on social media over the years. Ben White (21:03) The Colon Club is very near and to me. It's actually how I got involved with Fight CRC in the first place. used to be its own standalone nonprofit. The Colon Club is focused on early onset colorectal cancer. so it started initially over 20 years ago. The founder, Molly, was diagnosed very young and was basically told, you're the only one like this. There's no one like you. You're an anomaly. You shouldn't be diagnosed this young. And she said, I can't be, that can't be right. And she reached out and found other people and it started. Started as kind of an awareness campaign and what they would do was to get a group of models every year they call them models of survivors and patients and get them in it was meant to be a bit I guess thought it was meant to be a thought piece a little bit provocative in a way that like you know they would show off their scars they would say this is what colorectal cancer looks like and it's affecting people who are young and so for many years that was kind of you know it evolved over time started as a calendar the colander and so there were 12 models and it was meant to be like we could hand these out at doctor's offices and show them that this is a disease affecting young people. So, it evolved over time to a magazine and things like that. I was a Colon Club model and they introduced me to Fight CRC. And Fight CRC and Colon Club merged, and is been a great thing to provide some stability to the Colon Club. The mission will continue. It’s going to look a little different. It has looked very different for a long time. There hasn’t been colonders and things like that, but it’s still about raising awareness, and it's back this year. In the year of merging, they took a year off. To evaluate how to best run it going forward, but there's going to be a colon camp. There's going to be a new set of colon clubbers this year who are selected. So to highlight, you know, it's really about highlighting an awareness and education about the early onset piece. So yeah, we're really excited that colon camp is coming back and that there's going to be kind of a new cohort of colon clubbers. Melissa Schenkman (23:24) That's absolutely wonderful to hear because when I found them initially, I thought the content they provided was so phenomenal, so unusual. And to combine that with the powerhouse that Fight CRC is, you couldn't get anything better than to have those two together for patients and survivors and really just to educate across the board. So I'm very excited to hear that. And also there is, and there's been a little bit of press about this, the colorectal cancer care initiative as well. And I was wondering kind of, believe that one is a little bit newer, if I'm not mistaken. Just came together shortly. Ben White (24:01) So, the colorectal cancer care initiative was kind of the brainchild of what began with an early kind of like meeting of the minds that was a part of the came out of a meeting at the White House basically. What came out of that was they were able to convene a lot of groups who were thinking about colorectal cancer. And Pfizer actually kind of took the initiative, say, well, let's take this momentum and do something about this. You we had this big meeting to talk about it and we wanted to make sure there was action, not just smiles and handshakes or photos and handshakes, excuse me. And so what came of that is kind of a new initiative to look at how they are providing care for colorectal cancer and how can it be improved? And one of the first things that come with that is we can't improve what we're not measuring. And so in November last year in twenty twenty four, we released the colorectal cancer care report, which was really innovative. We worked with partners across nonprofit, across our pharmaceutical medical providers, doctors, like really across the entire continuum. Patients, survivors who are touched by colorectal cancer had input into this. And the goal is to create a set of measurable outcomes that can be implemented to track how colorectal cancer care is being given and how we can improve it. So they kind of fall under two buckets. We have timely screening. So for many years, there has been the 80 % in every community that was run by, I believe, NCCRT under ACS, which is a great goal and a great starting point. And so we didn't, that goal is still a goal that everyone's shooting for. We haven't reached it across the country. Most who are eligible for screening, it's about two thirds. We're not at that 80 % mark. So still keeping that goal. The new piece to that is that we're looking to ensure that 80 % of patients with abnormal non-invasive screening tests are receiving a follow-up colonoscopy. So if you have a cologuard or a fit test or one of those at-home tests and you get a positive result, you need a colonoscopy to confirm that diagnosis. so looking to add that second piece to make sure that people aren't just getting lost to the system. The second bucket of goals really falls under measuring timely diagnosis, treatment, and accurate information. So making sure that 80 % of patients are getting biomarker tested when they're diagnosed, that they're getting germline genetic testing, and that they're beginning treatment within six weeks of a diagnosis. So it's really this wonderful report. It's available online and it was this incredible collaborative effort. And the goal is to get this implemented in health systems and hospitals and care settings across the country so that we can start measuring these things and improve them. Because these are real issues that affect care and screening for patients. And if we're not measuring them, they're not going get better. Melissa Schenkman (26:31) No, absolutely. And a lot of times, as you know, well, it takes having those numbers, showing that evidence to get the healthcare system to move, to get the funding, all those types of things. So that really hits so many of the most important angles, and honestly, some of which are barriers to getting that care. So I was really very excited about the initiative, very excited about the report. And the one other thing, and I know someone had mentioned this to me. Last year that was really interesting is how you also have global meetings on research and I didn't know if there was any new things or any news on that that you wanted to share. Ben White (27:11) So, this is a new initiative that we are super, super excited about. But we have been talking about the alarming increase in rates of colorectal cancer in America and how it's going to be the number one killer. we're not alone in this. It's happening across the world. Across the world, early onset colorectal cancer is killing people sooner and sooner and we don't know why. And so this is really the first of its kind initiative to we're having a think tank this summer in Barcelona to bring researchers from across the globe, from all different countries to start sharing information on this and start sharing what we're finding. Right now a lot of this work is being done in silos in different countries and as you can imagine I'm sure that means there's probably a lot of duplication and repeated efforts and so we are looking to bring these brilliant people who are looking at this problem in their own countries together to hopefully kind of accelerate the learning on what's going on with this increase in early onset colorectal cancer. yeah, we're having a think tank in Barcelona on this this summer that I am incredibly excited to see the outcomes of and what comes out that. Melissa Schenkman (28:12) That's just such a brilliant idea. And one thought that just kind of came to mind with that is, so much of the talk here in the US has always been about diet and about obesity. And I have to wonder kind of if those are the things and I'm sure that will be part of the conversation there in Barcelona. Are they seeing that in other countries too, since other countries' diets are so different and have long been, you know, in terms of weight and things like that. I think that could get very, very interesting to discuss as researchers and physicians try and figure out why all this is going on in our generation, but that's very exciting. I'm very excited to hear what comes from that. And just wondering, because you have so many phenomenal resources to choose from, are there any new colorectal cancer resources or any that are some of your personal favorites that fellow millennials and others should be aware of that Fight CRC offers? And I know they offer a lot. Ben White (29:08) Yeah, I'll pick just a few because I'll highlight. Absolutely. They're all incredible. A few that I think are particularly easy, easily accessible and relevant. Our screening quiz. have a colorectal cancer screening quiz. Should you be screened for colorectal cancer? It is our most used resource on the website. It's very simple quiz and it tells you whether you should be going to get screened or not. That's the number one. It takes like minutes to fill out. The second is our chat bot. We have this incredible chat bot that, you know, you can text it even it's on our website, but basically it's.. You can ask them anything about colorectal cancer and it'll give you a quick answer. So especially if you're looking for a specific answer about for patients or caregivers looking for something very niche rather than have to filter through a list of resources and try and find it, ask our chat box. It'll pull it right up for you. It might point you to the resource. It'll give you the information. It's really easy to access. And again, there's like a phone number. You can even text it. So really easy to access, particularly as you have like specific questions on colorectal cancer or general. And the final thing that I think is really exciting is all of our provider resources. So, colorectal cancer is challenging because it requires a lot of collaboration between our primary care providers who need to refer you to a GI. And so there's a lot of handoff and a lot of education to be done on a lot of fronts. We have a lot of great provider resources, which we have support in which we can, if a provider wants these resources, we can ship them to them. We can provide that support without them having to pay for that, those resources. And we also have advocates who serve as resource champions who we will send these resources to to take to providers in their communities. if you are a provider and you're listening, or if you are interested in being a resource champion and sharing these resources with providers, I think that's another, the final one I'll highlight. Because again, I could go on and on and we have a whole team that works on these that's incredible. But those are three of my, I think, like, some of my favorites. Melissa Schenkman (30:56) Yeah, and I can see why. That last one, as far as with the providers, we do have lots of YMI Health contributors who are providers and listeners. I think people are always, especially in our age group, are always trying to find resources to help their patients. And so that's wonderful to hear. And I love the idea of having advocates go and take it directly to them too. That is very, very smart for Fight CRC to do. Well, for somebody who is out there, they want to get involved in colorectal cancer advocacy, they're listening to us, or they know someone who does as well, but they can't come to DC for a call on Congress and they want to get involved. How would you recommend that they get involved in CRC advocacy and being a part of Fight CRC? Ben White (31:41) So Call-on Congress is an amazing event, but it is also a big lift to fly out to DC and participate in this event for three days. And we realize that's not feasible, practical, or maybe something that people are comfortable doing. Not everyone is comfortable going and talking to their lawmaker or some person. But advocacy is this year round effort and there are so many ways to be involved that don't involve traveling across the country or, you know, to DC to do it in person. The easiest way is to get on our mailing list. We make it very easy to action on things that are happening. Pretty much monthly we're having something where you can basically we make it easy for you, you fill out a form and sends into your members of Congress of things that, you know, we're asking to be done or for them to action on. But we're also looking to have opportunities for folks to be able to engage locally. We're going to have, we're planning to have more focus on hopefully getting advocates out in the districts while the members are on recess this summer in ways where folks can get involved more at home. And I think a lot of people, especially our generation, don't feel like there's much power in like sending that form and filling in the email, but it does matter. Having that voice and sending that email and while it feels like ama trivial maybe effort, it's not. And that's why it's so easy. Like it doesn't take much effort to be a part of this movement and to make your voice heard. But yeah, I think the short answer is just get on our mailing list. It's easy to be a part of that. Get on our website, fightcrc.org, fightcollectalcancer.org and get on the mailing list. You can join our community of champions for those who want to be a bit more engaged. It's our online network where you can interact with other advocates and have a little bit more up to date and maybe more detailed information on what we're working on as opposed to like being on the email mailing list. So lots of ways to get involved for sure. Obviously we, I think everyone should come to call in Congress because I think it's the best event ever. I am realistic in understanding that like not everyone can come to call in Congress. But that doesn't mean you can't be a part of advocacy and Fight CRC. Melissa Schenkman (33:27) Exactly, which is wonderful to hear because I know so many people do want to get involved and they're just trying to find the right way that they can go about it. Because as you said before, the numbers have continued to rise and it's very much on all of our radar. And so, you know, in this generation, we want to help. We want to help and to educate ourselves. Well, then this was... Such a wonderful conversation. I am extremely excited about calling Congress, but I'm also extremely excited about all the other things that CRC does throughout the year. And we're just so appreciative for your time and for all of your effort. So thank you so much for joining us. Ben White (34:06) Thank you so much for having me and I'm really excited to see you out there in March. Melissa Schenkman (34:10) Same here, we're looking forward to it all.